''Time Table'' is a 1956 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

produced and directed by Mark Stevens, who also stars as the lead character. The film includes early appearances by

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1949 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men (1957 film), 12 Angry Men'' (1957) and ...

and

Felicia Farr Felicia Farr (born Olive Dines; October 4, 1932) is an American former actress and model. Early years Farr was born in Westchester County, New York. She attended Erasmus Hall High School and studied sociology at Penn State. Career Farr beg ...

. Other cast members include

King Calder Albert King Calder (April 21, 1898 – June 28, 1964) was an American film, television and theatre actor. Early life Calder was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He began his acting career in 1929 in the Broadway play ''The Humbug'', playing D ...

and

Marianne Stewart Marianne Stewart (born Annemarie Schünzel; 16 January 1922 – 1 November 1992) was a German-born American stage, film and television actress. Early life Stewart was born Annemarie Schünzel in Berlin, Germany on January 16, 1922 to Hanne ...

. The film was distributed by

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

Plot

Paul Bruckner, a surgeon whose license has been revoked for alcoholism, poses as Dr. Sloane aboard a train passing through

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. His presence there is part of a caper involving a fictitious patient, on whose behalf he gains access to his physician's bag in the baggage car. There he blows the safe and steals a cash payroll of $500,000. Bruckner and the false patient, supposedly infected with

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

, disembark at a remote small town with a hospital, which is also far from any scheduled train stop, and escape with the money in an ambulance. The railroad officials do not discover the robbery until the train reaches Phoenix many hours later. In response, the insurance company assigns claim investigator Charlie Norman to the case, forcing him to postpone his vacation to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

with his wife Ruth the next day. Joe Armstrong, a veteran railroad policeman who is also investigating the crime, works with him. Gradually, evidence starts to surface indicating that the thieves stole the ambulance just before the robbery, then ditched it in the desert, escaping in a stolen helicopter. The scheme was elaborate, showing that the robbery had been executed according to a strict timetable. However, the thieves committed one misstep that kept the heist from being the perfect crime. During the escape, the thief named Lombard who played the role of the patient accidentally shot himself, forcing Bruckner—and the money—to remain with him instead of escaping to Mexico, disrupting the timetable. Charlie's assignment to the case further complicates matters. However, Charlie is the secret mastermind behind the plot. He carefully planned the crime after meeting Bruckner, who filed a false accident claim. Charlie plans to disappear in Mexico with Bruckner's wife Linda, who pretended to be Lombard's wife, and use the cash to finance his new life. Bruckner, desperate for money, joined in the crime strictly for the cash. Charlie decides that they should all wait for the investigation to cool before trying to continue on to Mexico. However, Joe, methodically investigating each aspect of the crime, finds an accomplice who leads to another, Wolfe, the owner of the "stolen" helicopter. Charlie realizes that Bruckner and Wolfe double-crossed him, killed Lombard and planned to keep the money for themselves. Charlie kills Wolfe to silence him and makes it appear to be a suicide. Bruckner, trying to escape to Mexico with Linda and his share of the loot, panics during a routine customs check and tries to force his way across the border, but is killed by police. Linda escapes, and Joe arranges to accompany Charlie to Mexico to find her, believing that she has the rest of the loot. Charlie sees an opportunity to escape and stashes his cut of the money in a briefcase to smuggle into Mexico. He suspects Bruckner had already arranged to leave Mexico for another country with Linda. Charlie also discovers that an unsuspecting Ruth has tried to pull a practical joke on him by substituting fishing gear for his work reports in the briefcase. She has discovered the stolen money and returned it anonymously to the insurance company. While pursuing Linda to take Bruckner's place in the double-cross plan, Charlie draws the suspicion of Joe and the Mexican police. Forced to abandon Bruckner's plan, Charlie and Linda are cornered and killed in a shootout.

Cast

* Mark Stevens as Charlie Norman *

as Joe Armstrong *

as Linda Bruckner *

as Ruth Norman *

Wesley Addy Robert Wesley Addy (August 4, 1913 – December 31, 1996)R Wesley Addy in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claim Index, 1936-2007, retrieved froAncestry.com/ref> was an American actor of stage, television, and film. Early years A ...

as Dr. Paul Bruckner *

Alan Reed Alan Reed (born Herbert Theodore Bergman; August 20, 1907 – June 14, 1977) was an American actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on ''The Flintstones'' and various spinoff series. He also appeared in many films, includin ...

as Al Wolfe * Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. as Lt. Castro *

as Frankie Page *

John Marley John Marley (born Mortimer Leon Marlieb; October 17, 1907 – May 22, 1984) was an American actor and theatre director. He won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 29th Venice International Film Festival for his performance in John Cassavetes' ' ...

as Bobik

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic Milton Esterow wrote: "The latest Hollywood triple-threat is Mark Stevens, the gentleman currently portraying one of television's crusading editors. ... Mr. Stevens has shed his video zealousness against evil and become an insurance investigator on the wrong side of the law, the mastermind of a $500,000 train robbery and a ruthless killer. His transformation is a credit to his versatility. He comes off pretty well, even if 'Timetable' doesn't. ... Also, Mr. Stevens is thoroughly grim. Too grim. Perhaps it's the TV influence. Anyway, give us a smile once in a while, old boy, things aren't as bad as all that."

Notes

References

External links